Chapter 23: Shattered Unity
The Bastion stood as a monument to the Iron Order's might, but within its walls, chaos brewed. The Shard's violet glow illuminated every shadow, every fear, and every doubt. Its whispers were no longer subtle—they screamed in the minds of all who lingered near.
The Breaking Point
Captain Jorath's unit had reached the Shard chamber's threshold. The air was thick with an oppressive energy that made their armor feel heavier, their movements sluggish.
"Hold formation!" Jorath commanded, though his voice lacked the authority it once carried.
But his men were fracturing.
"I can't do this," one soldier muttered, his hands trembling as he dropped his weapon. "It's inside my head. It's… it's watching me."
Before Jorath could respond, another soldier turned on the first, grabbing him by the collar. "Get a hold of yourself! You're Iron Order, not some weak—"
A sudden surge of violet energy erupted from the Shard, sending a shockwave through the chamber. The soldiers staggered, some collapsing to the ground as the artifact's power coursed through their bodies.
And then they began to scream.
Fractured Allegiances
In the upper levels of the Bastion, General Rhyssa Kord convened an emergency council. The once-unified commanders of the Iron Order now sat divided, their faces marked by exhaustion and mistrust.
"This is madness," one commander growled, slamming his fist on the table. "The Shard is destroying us from within. We need to abandon it before it's too late."
"And throw away our greatest weapon?" Inquisitor Malvek sneered, his eyes glinting with an unnatural violet hue. "The Shard is our salvation. Those who fear it are cowards."
"Enough!" Kord's voice cut through the argument, silencing the room. She looked at Malvek, her expression unreadable. "If you've been touched by the Shard, then you know its power is not without cost."
Malvek leaned forward, his voice low and laced with conviction. "Cost is irrelevant. The Shard has chosen me as its vessel. I've seen what lies ahead—a future where the Iron Order rules unchallenged."
Before Kord could respond, the chamber doors burst open, and a bloodied officer stumbled in. "The lower levels… they're lost. The soldiers—some are attacking each other, and others—" His voice faltered. "They're changing."
The Taint of the Shard
In the barracks, the corruption spread rapidly. Soldiers afflicted by the Shard's influence began to twist and contort, their bodies consumed by violet energy. Their eyes glowed with an unnatural light, their movements jerky and inhuman.
Those still untainted fought desperately to hold the line, but fear gnawed at their resolve. For every corrupted soldier they felled, another took their place.
Jorath and the remnants of his unit managed to retreat from the Shard chamber, but the sight of their comrades' transformation haunted them.
"Captain," one of his men whispered, his voice shaking. "What do we do now?"
Jorath's jaw tightened. "We survive. That's all we can do."
Vane's Descent
High Commander Aldrek Vane stood alone in the Shard chamber once more, his mind a battlefield of conflicting voices.
The Shard's light pulsated in time with his heartbeat, its whispers now a deafening roar.
Vane. You are the key.
"I am your master," Vane growled, stepping closer to the artifact.
The Shard's light intensified, and the presence within it coalesced into a figure—a towering, indistinct form made of shadows and flame.
You are nothing but a spark, Vane. A spark to ignite the fire that will consume this world.
Vane fell to his knees, clutching his head as the voices overwhelmed him. His armor cracked, violet light spilling from the fractures.
"No," he rasped, his voice barely audible. "I… I will control you."
The figure laughed, its form flickering. Control? You are already mine.
A Grim Resolution
As the Bastion crumbled into chaos, General Kord made her decision. She gathered her remaining loyalists in the war room, her gaze steely.
"The Shard is beyond our control," she said. "If we don't destroy it, it will destroy us—and everything else."
"But General," one officer protested, "the Shard's power—"
"Has already cost us too much." Kord's voice was firm. "This is not a debate. Prepare the evacuation. We'll set the charges and collapse the chamber."
The officers exchanged grim looks but nodded.
As they moved to carry out her orders, Kord lingered for a moment, staring at the Bastion's central spire where the Shard pulsed like a malevolent heart.
"For the Iron Order," she whispered, before turning away.
The Shard's Defiance
As Kord's forces prepared to destroy the artifact, the Shard unleashed its final act of defiance. The corrupted soldiers rallied, their bodies consumed by violet flames as they swarmed the Bastion's defenders.
In the chaos, Malvek and his followers made their move.
"The Shard belongs to us!" Malvek cried, leading a charge toward the chamber. "No one will deny its will!"
Kord met him on the battlefield, her blade clashing with his. "You're a fool, Malvek. The Shard will destroy you too."
Malvek's violet-tinged eyes gleamed. "Then I will die as its prophet."
The Beginning of the End
As explosions rocked the Bastion and the Shard's chamber began to collapse, the artifact's light reached a blinding crescendo.
In its final moments, the Shard's presence spoke, its voice resonating across the Bastion.
You cannot destroy us. We are eternal. You are but fleeting shadows in our light.
And then, with a deafening roar, the Shard exploded, consuming the chamber in a wave of violet energy.
For those who survived, the Bastion was no longer a fortress of strength—it was a graveyard of ambition.
But the Shard's legacy was far from over. The whispers, faint yet unmistakable, lingered in the wind:
We will return.